The operation of the BBC Film Library was studied with the intention of
defining those areas likely to benefit from computerization. The state
of the art of computerized information retrieval was assessed by means
of the literature, and those techniques likely to be of use at the
Film Library were isolated.
Computer programs were written to provide an information storage and
retrieval system paralleling the manual system currently used at the
Film Library, organized according to the UNIVERSAL DECIMAL CLASSIFICATION
(UDC). These programs were operated by the film librarians in situ.
A computerized system able to "learn" from enquiries was built and
tested, and document clustering was also investigated as a method of
subject classification.
A modular approach to retrieval system design was developed within the
framework of a Relational Database system, so that the various
retrieval methods examined in the course of the study could be cemented
into one concertive retrieval system.